Intellectual Property Portfolio Management tools manage enterprise innovation and aim to turn such innovation into valuable intellectual property rights. Intellectual Property Portfolio Management tools typically track and nurture an innovation from conception to production and commercialization. Intellectual Property Portfolio Management tools are preferably integrated with the Research and Development (R&D) efforts of an enterprise.
Intellectual Property Management professionals often perform patent searches based on keyword strings as part of, for example, patentability and patent validity studies. In addition, Intellectual Property Management professionals often monitor published patent applications and/or issued patents to identify similar or overlapping identical technology of key competitors and/or in specific technology areas. Issued patent claims are often analyzed as part of patent assertion efforts to determine if one or more patents may be infringed by new or existing products of a competitor. Intellectual Property Management professionals also often assist with the development of new technology, based on an analysis of patent information.
Due to the ever increasing amount of available patent information, as well as the increasingly competitive global environment and the quick pace of technology advances, a need exists for improved tools for managing patent procurement and assertion using patent analytics.